Musicians vs. politicians

For politicians, finding the right song to get people listening to their message is crucial. Whether used to get the audience pumped up at rallies or in commercials (and in some cases attack ads), the song choice could set the tone for the evening or perhaps an entire election campaign. However, occasionally artists are less than flattered at this use of their work, and in some cases forced to take legal action against the offending parties. So, when it comes to musician-politician beefs which ones got down and dirty? We've compiled some of our favourite throwdowns to keep you in the know. (Compiled by Meghan Mitchell, QMI Agency)

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Hoping for a knockout, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was using the theme song from Rocky III - Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger' - at campaign rallies until Rude Music Inc. filed a lawsuit against the politico. The suit claims the song was used without permission and seeks to cease Gingrich from using it. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Rick Wilking and HANDOUT)

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Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who earned the nickname 'Sarah Barracuda' while in high school, may have thought Heart's 'Barracuda' would be a fitting tune during the Republican National Convention in 2008. Unfortunately for her the band didn't agree and urged the candidate to stop playing their music. (Photo Credit: WENN.COM/FayesVision and REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

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Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan struck a nerve with 'The Boss' when he decided to use 'Born in the U.S.A.' during his re-election campaign. Often mistaken for being a patriotic anthem, the song is actually critical of the way Vietnam War vets were treated. Whoops! (Photo Credit: REUTERS FILE/Fred Prouser and WENN.COM/Dominic Chan)

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney used K'Naan's 'Wavin' Flag' to celebrate his victory over Newt Gingrich during the Florida primary. K'Naan has stated that he did not grant permission for the song's use and may take legal action to prevent Romney from using the song in the future. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Steve Marcus and QMI AGENCY/Andre Forget)

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During John McCain's quest for the American presidential crown, many musicians were vocal about their dislike at the GOP candidate using their tunes. The Foo Fighters were among the artists who requested that McCain stop using their music after their song 'My Hero' was used at campaign rallies without permission from the band. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst and QMI AGENCY/Sira Chayer)

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Jackson Browne sued Republican presidential hopeful John McCain (and the GOP) after the song 'Running on Empty' was featured in an Ohio Republican Party ad dissing Barack Obama's energy policy. Browne claimed that he did not give permission for the song to be used and even though McCain had not actually used the song, he apologized, putting an end to the lawsuit. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Andrew Burton and REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

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Rocker John Mellencamp's hits 'Our Country' and 'Pink Houses' were used to get the crowds pumped up at John McCain's campaign rallies. That is, until Mellencamp's reps requested that the Republican candidate cease playing the long-time Democrat and former John Edwards supporter's music. McCain complied. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany and QMI AGENCY/Michael Peake)

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During his election campaign, U.S. President Barack Obama used the Sam & Dave hit 'Hold On, I'm Comin'' until one half of the duo, Sam Moore, requested that he stop. Obama complied and Moore has since performed for the president at an inaugural ball. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Jim Young and REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)

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Former U.S. president George W. Bush was using Tom Petty's classic 'I Won't Back Down' during his 2000 presidential campaign. However, he did back down from using the tune when Petty caught wind of this and served the Republican candidate with a cease and desist letter. (Photo Credit: QMI AGENCY/Alex Urosevic and REUTERS/Hans Deryk)

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Ex-Florida Governor Charlie Crist made headlines when he used the Talking Heads 'Road to Nowhere' in a political attack ad without first obtaining permission. Singer David Byrne slapped the politico with a lawsuit, which was eventually settled and included a very public apology, which was posted on YouTube. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Brian Blanco and WENN.COM/Zak Hussein)

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Tom Petty's 'American Girl' may have seemed like an appropriate choice for Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's campaign rally, but it didn't sit well with the artist. Following the rally, Bachmann was promptly issued a cease and desist letter. (Photo Credit: REUTERS/Shaun Best and REUTERS/Jeff Haynes)

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Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann struck out again after playing Katrina and the Waves 'Walking On Sunshine' at another rally. The band retaliated by issuing a statement on its website claiming they did not endorse the song's use. (Photo Credit: HANDOUT and REUTERS/Joshua Lott)

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Canadian rock band Rush was less-than-impressed to find out that Kentucky Republican Rand Paul had been using their music, including the song 'The Spirit of Radio', during political rallies south of the border. The band requested that he stop, since he had not been granted permission to do so. (QMI AGENCY/Martin Chevalier and REUTERS/John Sommers II)

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Cyndi Lauper wasn't happy to learn that her song 'True Colors' was being used by the Democratic National Committee in an attack ad against Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. It wasn't so much the political affiliation that angered her as the fact the song was being used in a negative light. (Photo Credit: WENN.COM/Starbux and REUTERS/Larry Downing)